Are we still tanking?

the injuries seemed to really get heavy around the all-star break, after the trade deadline. Portland was 15-36 (.294) at the trade deadline; 15-39 at the all-star break. After the trade deadline, the Blazers would have had to go on a 31 game win streak just to have a shot at 10th seed

 

It's also hilarious for someone to call blatant tanking and sitting healthy players for the tank "this thing called massive injuries". The only real injuries last season that fucked up what we were trying to do were those that Shaedon and Scoot sustained. When the injury report says a guy is day to day for three fucking months, that's not legit. Obviously you know this...

 

As well as the year prior and the year prior.

What is likely for next season, during an epically strong draft we don't sit anyone out with injuries and try hard to win for the first time since Olshey was here? Or we see the same strategy as Cronin has done 100% of the time?

 

Simons got hurt in the first game, Timelord in the sixth and Sharpe was showing signs of injury around game 15 I think and tried to play through until shutting down. Brogdon was also legitamtely injured some, as was Grant. Yes, the players probably recuperated longer than if they were fighting for playoff seeding. Scoot was out multiple games a couple times hurting his development. Injuries were real last season, no doubt.

 

If Portland also sends out Ant/Grant then they should play the young guys with whatever vets they get in return sprinkled in trying to win as much as possible, learning as they lose. Losses will be inevitable, but it's a rebuild, not a tank.

 

This is the year to full tank.

It sounds like right now there's four legit stars at the top of the draft. We want to make sure we have the best chance possible to get one of those top 4 spots.

Sell Simons. Sell Grant. Sell Timelord.

 

Ed, you've consistently pointed to the record the Blazers had last season as indicative of their lack of talent. That makes zero sense from a logic standpoint when the Blazers had lengthy injuries to core players AND management was intent on losing after the trade deadline. While nobody with any common sense is saying that the Blazers were a competitive team even if they had been reasonably healthy and intent upon winning, many here believe we have no true indication as to what a Blazers team like that could have produced because we simply never saw it on the court. The record is roughly the equivalent of an incomplete on the report card.

 

This is not the place for critical thinking...This is the place to release all those emotionally charged feelings. I agree with your assessment, and lucky for us, the professionals running the team seem to be in agreement as well.

 

Anfernee missed a lot of time to start the season and actually barely played with Shaedon in the grand scheme of a season. People are all ready to write off their co-existence when it's barely been tried.

 

Ant and Scoot did not seem complementary at all and neither did Ant and Shaedon the season before. Maybe it's just a change in coaching philosophy that does it where Scoot and Shaedon are told that they're the primary option when on the floor with Ant but how does that go over with Ant and what does that do to his trade value if we do eventually want to trade him?

Maybe Ant is just really cool with coming off the bench going forward in his career with us... that doesn't make a lot of sense to me but it's the only way I see the team building around Scoot and Shae while keeping Ant.

 

High lottery picks are how a rebuilding team becomes a contender. If you think we are cursed strategy doesn’t matter we are doomed. Since thats unhelpful develop young talent and tank.

 

I think he's right in that playing to lose or more so not using every tool you have to try to win is not a great way to build a winning culture. With that said, I think you can build a winning culture losing a ton of games, even the most game in the league if it's with young guys who are winning more and moving towards being really competitive throughout the season. As opposed to what we've been doing which is starting the season as a team that isn't good enough to make the play offs but then sitting everyone that could win games for us.

Winning right now doesn't make sense but neither does sitting quality role players almost half the season to avoid wins. In other words, trade Ant, Jerami and Tisse now and if he's looking like he'll be playing this season which is what the reports are trade Rob now too. Only bring back prospects, picks and vets who are ready to sit the bench.

 

Exactly, this is a rebuild. Members need to quit saying tank. There is no need to tank when you move off of the vets that can help playoff teams advance. It’s just empty stats here for them. But if Scoot, Sharpe and Avdija are putting up numbers in competitive games while playing good defense , that’s accomplishment. That is progress.

 

If those guys along with hopefully some other guys that are coming along or we acquire in a trade for Ant, Jerami, etc. win so many games that we're in the hunt for the play ins next season, I'll be cool with that. I doubt that's the point we'll be at but wherever we end up as long as we're getting better and the guys are competing hard I can live with that. Watching Ant and Jerami taking so many shots away from guys I see a long term future with last season sucked and it also sucked just having them sit. Trade them somewhere they will get to give their all, the entire season and let's stop halfassing this rebuild.

 

Agreed, but I’d add I hope Portland does not do something stupid, like take on Russell from the Lakers and start him over Scoot/Sharpe. He’s a salary filler unlike Avdija. Let him come off the bench until he is traded. Sucks for him, but it’s a business.

 

I'd say if that's the trade for Jerami then flip DLo as soon as you pick him up. There are going to be teams in the league who need a guy like DLo either coming off the bench or starting.

 

What I'm guessing happens is that they start the season all in and doing their best to win games. If they succeed doing that, they'll keep on trying their best to win. If they quickly fall hopelessly out of the playoff mix, management and the coaches will take their foot off the gas and plan for the future... which is what smart management for teams lacking enough talent/experience does. The last few seasons thats been the strategy and how things have unfolded not some silly fake injuries conspiracy when the neither the playoffs let alone contending was remotely within their grasp. Good grief, they've sucked on paper, then the court which forced management's hand.

This season whats different is that their young talent isn't quite as green plus they added a legit player (Avdija) at their most glaring position of need. My outlook on whether they end up doing some tanking again is pinned on whether Scoot and Shaedon have developed enough to not be a subpar starting backcourt

STOMP

 

Cronin hired injury prone players. Normally a team in rebuild will deal for an already injured high salary player with FRP's as compensation.

Joe is a weirdo, and offered Blazer fans expectations that oft-injured new Blazers can make it through the entire season.

Unfortunately Blazer fans have witnessed some of these injuries during games. We feel horrible watching a player hobbling in pain, as Coach Billups refuses to call a timeout to render aid.

When you mix legit injuries with players that fake injuries, it can leave a sour outlook for the Franchise. We had Rob Williams in crutches. Then 3 months later Jerami Grant quits his season, and shows up to a Miami game perfectly healthy wearing a Pirate cosplay outfit. Oh by the way, Portland lost that game by 60.